It had all the makings of an old school, ABA style, up and down the floor affair, and the Indiana Pacers made sure this one did not get away from them.
On a night when two of his starters could not answer the bell,
Coach Jim O’Brien found that his team was up for the challenge as
they defeated the Golden State Warriors 127 to 120.
Danny Granger topped the 40 point mark in scoring for the second time in five days with 41 points and added 11 rebounds and 6 assists
in an impressive effort that certainly did not go unnoticed by the opposition. “He’s an incredible player and a difficult one to guard”
stated Warriors head coach Don Nelson. “He is the man right now”
Granger, who completed all 17 of his free throw attempts, had plenty of support on a night which saw the Pacers place six players in double figures. Jarrett Jack scored 24 and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Marquis Daniels added 23 for the Pacers, who shot 93% from the charity stripe and committed just 12 turnovers. They also out rebounded the Warriors by a count of 57 to 49, with 20 of those coming at the offensive end.
Golden State jumped out to a 9-0 lead, but the Pacers then went on to outscore them 40 to 20, to lead 40-29 at the end of the first stanza. The Pacers led 68-62 at the halfway mark, and just by two at the end of the third period, by a score of 95-93.
The Warriors who placed five scorers in double figures, were led by Jamal Crawford who hit for 29 points, and Marco Belinelli who notched a career high 21 points. Former Pacer Stephen Jackson added 20 points for the Warriors who have now lost four straight games.
Notes: Golden State played without their leading scorer, Corey Maggette, who could not go due to a strained hamstring.
Brandon Rush and Stephen Jackson both played season high minutes in the game. Rush finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Graham, who brought his usual high energy style of play to the floor, scored 11 points. Seven of Jeff Foster’s 11 rebounds came at the offensive end. Troy Murphy missed the game due to stomach flu, while T.J. Ford sat out with an injured groin.
The next Pacer game is Friday December 19th against former North Central High School and IU stand out Eric Gordon and the Los Angeles Clippers. Tickets are still available and can be obtained at Ticketmaster,com or at the Conseco Fieldhouse box office.
Danny Bridges can be reached at (317) 578-1780 or Bridgeshd@aol.com.
